Public Safety Employees Getting Out of Dodge

Hi,

I work for the County in Public Safety and I can't wait to leave County employment. Have resumes in 4 counties and a couple cities in NoVa. I'm not uniformed. Work in admin. What's the problem with Arlington's Public Safety employees? We're under-compensated and over-worked. Hiring hasn't kept pace with population growth for two decades. Police Department and Fire Department are way under-strength for the work load and population growth.

Yeah, lots of Arlington cops are a$$holes. They're really stressed, like the firefighters and paramedics. Too many calls for service. Too many complaints. Too much overtime required because the County really doesn't want to hire any more uniformed employees. Pols and the people they appoint keep telling us to "suck it up". That sucks.

It's always the same old problems, only more every year. Altercations at convenience stores, shoplifting in the malls, thousands of complaints against african americans, latinos, and homeless persons, parking lot fender-benders, domestic disputes, and suspicious person complaints by anyone about anyone else. The Fire Department is stressed by an increase in medical emergencies caused by an aging population.

If you're wondering why there's no community policing in the County, that's why. Everything in Public Safety is reactive, except for the employees who plan for events that will never occur.

So I'm looking forward to working in a less stressful environment in the near future.

1425

Capacity Audience Hears Garvey, DeLa Pava, Davis Endorse Vihstadt

Hello,

A Y sent a contributor to cover County Board Member John Vihstadt's kickoff re-election campaign event at the Lyon Village Community Center this afternoon.

The event did not disappoint. The number of Vihstadt supporters who attended reached the capacity of the Communty Center. Leaders of same coalition that elected Mr. Vihstadt 4 years ago attended the event together with many new Vihstadt supporters - Democrats, Republicans, Independents, Greens, and Libertarians. Democrats Libby Garvey and Carmen De La Pava endorsed Mr. Vihstadt. So did former Republican Congressman Tom Davis.

It appears that whatever advantages the Arlington Democratic Regime may have against the Regime's usual County Board opponents may well be again negated this next election.

Cindy

Arlington Amazon HQ Would Cost Taxpayers $3 Billion +

Hi Yupette,

I'm a long time Arlington resident and my significant other is employed in an administrative capacity at the County's Economic Development Office on Glebe Road.

If you wondered why Chair Katie is being coy about the total cost of the secret corporate welfare giveaway to Amazon it's because the deal will cost Arlington taxpayers more than $3 billion.

Succinctly, here's what Amazon's getting from the County: a $500 million direct corporate welfare stipend from the County, another $500 million in tax breaks, and at least $2 billion in new infrastructure (e.g., schools) to serve the needs and wants of 50,000 new residents who would live in Arlington by 2025 associated in some way with Amazon.

Amazon is looking to build a second headquarters every bit as as extravagant as Amazon's Seattle Headquarters. So you can kiss the "urban village" goodbye if the County Board and Economic Development succeed in bribing Amazon to locate another headquarters here. Here's a photo of Amazon's Seattle HQ, in the event you've never seen it.

Thanks for your blog.

Ted 22205

Beyer Helicopter Noise Meeting - Huge Charade

Hello,

A.Y. attended Congressman Beyer's helicopter noise meeting at Abingdon School last night. We didn't see Scott McCaffrey, Editor of the Arlington Sun Gazette, or Scott Brodbeck, Publisher of ArlNow at the meeting, though they live close to the school.

The meeting was similar to Congressman Beyer's last aircraft noise meeting, held at Reagan Airport. Lots of questions, few answers from the Military and FAA. Democratic "community leaders" from Fairlington were present as facilitators. Arlington cops were there to keep "undesirables" away, e.g., Latinos. Dandy Don was his usual slick self. But he's a car dealer, right? Libby Garvey and John Vihstadt also attended.

So what's really going on? Turns out the Obama Administration greatly expanded the number of VIP helicopter flights to and from the Pentagon, Reagan Airport, Dulles Airport, Belvoir, Quantico, and elsewhere inside and outside the Beltway.

Not a huge secret. But you have to know where to look. Go to google.com then search for: These Elite Military Helicopter Units Fly Washington's Power Players

So again, what can you expect from one-party government for the past 35 years but constant lies and charades?

Cindy

Ballston Experiencing a More Car Renaissance

Hey Yupette,

Thanks for your blog. Like many other Arlington residents and voters I'm sick of "development for the sake of development" in my Ballston neighborhood. Whatever County Government may say about a "No Car Diet" what it's inflicting on Ballston is a More Car / More Vehicle Trips Diet.

What the County says it wants is for everyone to take Metro if you want to go somewhere. Or ride a bicycle 24/7/365.

So why build Express Lanes? Why sell so many expensive vehicles in Ballston? Why so many more Uber and Lyft trips? The Merlex used vehicle lot on Glebe Road is full of pre-owned Mercedes and other luxury vehicles. Merlex used to sell used Nisan Sentras. Why so many big new buildings with big underground garages? Why does the County keep a dozen people on the transportation staff who commute to Arlington from 40 miles away and tell everyone to ride bicycles in the Winter?

Because this County is completely screwed up, that's why. The pols tell us so many lies they can't keep track of the lies anymore. Affordable housing means un-affordable housing. No Car Diet means More Car Diet. Urban Village means Millennial Ghetto.

Where does the County's so-called "planning" take us in 5 years? Another expensive Metro entrance and 5,000 more underground parking spaces. This neighborhood is a mess right now. I am not going to vote for any more Democrats for anything. Thanks again for your blog.

C.E., Ballston

Audrey Clement Considering School Board Run

Hello,

Again this year the majority of County Board members will have children or grandchildren attending Arlington Public Schools. With Jay Fisette retired and the County Board and School Board committed to jamming 70,000 more residents into the County by 2040, the School Board will be increasingly focused on giving APS parents more Taj Mahal schools with every conceivable amenity that they've historically demanded.

But providing extravagant educational infrastructure isn't sustainable, given other special interests with their extravagant wants. What to do? Keep on with "growth for the sake of growth," raise taxes every year to cover the demands of 3,500 new residents and 800 new APS students, and hope there isn't a serious recession and the Trump Administration doesn't start moving federal agencies to the Rust Belt. Also known as kicking the can down the road another year, and hoping the bubble doesn't burst on their watch.

That's why we're we're happy to learn that Dr. Audrey Clement is considering another run for School Board, against Barbara Kanninen who Audrey ran against 4 years ago. For all her supposed analytical expertise Barbara's singular accomplishment during her 3 years on the School Board has been approving construction of Taj Mahal new schools with every conceivable amenity but too few active learning spaces, aka classrooms.

Abingdon School parents (about a hundred of whom are no longer legally Arlington residents, but that's another story) are already lobbying the School Board and County Board for more brick-and-mortar classrooms, although Abingdon just received a $32 million makeover and expansion.

So A.Y. is happy that a candidate with fiscal sanity who's not addicted to Smart Growth is considering running for School Board - Dr. Audrey Clement.

Cindy, 22206

Politburo - White Citizens Council Hold Hugfest Meeting

Hey, Yupette,

I attended the County Board's annual organizational meeting last night, followed by the County Board's work session with the Arlington Civic Federation, aka White Citizens Council. Can you spell C-H-A-R-A-D-E-S ?

County Board members spouted the usual drivel about the need for transparency, openness, fiscal responsibility, etc., after spending 2017 approving exorbitantly expensive programs and projects and secret deals (like the $1 billion corporate welfare package for Amazon). Current prohibition against citizens removing extravagant programs and projects from the consent agenda will remain. First Yupette Katie Cristol was elevated to Chair of the Politburo. First Yuppie Christian Dorsey was elevated to Vice-Chair.

What stood out from the drivel was the County Board's total commitment to its New Urbanism/Smart Growth ideology/addiction/belief system/religion and the concomitant increase of Arlington's population by 70,000 in 22 years (2040). That's why the County Board has to embrace the CivFed like Kim Jong Un embraces Dennis Rodman.

As for the CivFed, it's become less inclusive and diverse over the past several years and much like the White Citizens Council it was 100 years ago. Both the CivFed and County Board are committed to excluding non-upscale, non-trendy people from the County. Looking around the County Board Room last night it was hard to find a minority-group member who wasn't County Staff.

As usual the police were sitting in the Board Room on the lookout for "troublemakers" who the Regime's enforcers have told not to attend meetings, while County's bloated PR bureaucracy makes videos telling citizens to come to meetings. LOL. Police are also on the lookout for non-trendy homeless who have been banned from the County's Taj Mahal homeless shelter.

So look for more of the same, and worse, from the County Board this year.

Eric, 22205